The tech tree alone with nothing else would give this game a 8.
I first mentioned the tech tree, so let me brief you on that. I have tried to conquer the universe as three different alien races (there are 11 but customization makes it basically infinite) so far with moderately little success :-). But the first thing I came to appreciate in this game, even before the ship design, was the tech tree. That is why my header says was it does, because from my experience in other stunning games like EU3 (which is hard to compare) and even Civ4 this tech tree is like a Redwood while others are simply Oak. Might seem nit picky to you, but I like the option of going toward cheap Mass Driver space ship weapons or the more money and research intensive missile combat systems, and that is only the beginning.
Everything else fits well. I need to learn shortcuts but there are plenty of them which make me happy. All the races have personalities and show them nicely through the AI's choices in campaigning. The graphics are great, and the symbolization of units is top notch...because it is quite a feat to never have the appearance of confusing clutter when there are dozens of starbases, planets, stars, anomalies, scout ships, freighters, asteroids, and everything else. Once zoomed in, the level of detail and ingenuity of design of all the units gives a sense of immersion and definitely makes everything you are fighting, negotiating, and researching for believable. I definitely have to mention the space ship designer, it's awesome and very necessary, which makes it a very fun tool that plays a part in almost every match you play.
I haven't spent to much time getting into the story, but it does seem cool. Most my energy has been focused on trying to eke out victories on hard at each step along the way. All together the game is great because it is fun and interesting. If I summed together all its parts it would get more than a 10.0. But no the game is not perfect. The only way it would be is if I could go out to space and zap to death the Dread Lords myself.